Writers Tarik Günersel, Pinar Selek, Necati Abay, and Cüneyt Ayral talk via Google Hangout about risking imprisonment for writing against the regime, the pattern of repression against opposition writers, the government’s crackdown on free press, and the condition of writing in exile.

From ordering a TV station to stop broadcasting a speech by an opposition leader to the imprisonment of Gezi Park protesters, and from the bombing of Kurdish peasants to the targeting of journalists, each day “it seems that PM Erdoğan’s government creates new material for Ripley’s Believe it or Not.”

‘Today there is hardly a democratic government in Turkey. I have taken to calling it “Erdocracy” as it carries the heavy hand of PM Erdoğan.’ Writer Tarik Günersel issues a sharp critique of Prime Minister Erdoğan’s government, as censorship of the arts expands and institutional corruption worsens.

As more fragments of news about a Turkish corruption scandal are released, journalists are fired, fingers are pointed, and even the upper echelons of power aren’t safe. Writer Tarik Günersel comments on the latest developments in Turkey.

Sampsonia Way presents the ultimate book list based on the 19 Salon Readings that City of Asylum/Pittsburgh held during 2013. Each of the books on the list was written, edited, or translated by the stellar lineup of invited writers, journalists, and translators. Enjoy!

In what is a reversal of a decades old policy, the Turkish Ministry of Culture refuses to give financial aid to private theaters that supported the Gezi Park protests and that stage plays that violate the public’s general morality. Turkey columnist and author Tarik Günersel explains the situation.

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About Sampsonia Way

Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh that seeks to protect and advocate for writers who may be endangered, to educate the public about threats to writers and literary expression, and to create a community in which endangered writers thrive and literary culture is a valued part of life.